Barbecue icon in fight for top spot

Saturday

Mar 30, 2013 at 12:01 AM

It’s down to the Elite Eight, and Tuscaloosa is still in the running.

Staff report

It’s down to the Elite Eight, and Tuscaloosa is still in the running.The Alabama Tourism Department’s Facebook contest to find the state’s best barbecue restaurant has been pared down to the final eight, and Tuscaloosa’s Dreamland is still in the hunt. Brian Jones of the tourism department said Dreamland is pitted against Jim ’N Nick’s of Birmingham in the central division. The department set up a brackets-like contest of some of the state’s best-known barbecue restaurants. The contest mimics the NCAA basketball tournament, commonly known as March Madness, with people filling out brackets that pit two restaurants against each other. The one getting the most votes moves to the next round.Still in the running are Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, which is matched against Lawler’s Barbecue in Athens to represent north Alabama. Sam’s BBQ in Montgomery and Lannie’s in Selma are competing in the southern region. L.a. barbeque in Summerdale is going against The Shed in Mobile for the Gulf region. The four regional winners will be decided this afternoon.“We’re just as happy as we can be that they would think of us as one of the best,” said Matt Kilgore, general manager for Dreamland. “The big thing is the support from our fans. We’re in the Elite Eight, and we’re trying to get to the Final Four. We need to get all the votes we can get. “The real thing is just bragging rights for the state,” he said. “The state of Alabama is very rich in barbecue tradition.”To vote in the contest, go to https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaFood.Jones said more than 40,000 votes have been cast since the original field of 32 was announced March 11. The overall winner will be announced April 8, the same day the NCAA’s Men’s Division I Basketball Champion is crowned. The winning restaurant will receive the title of “The Year of Alabama Food Ultimate Barbecue Champion,” a plaque and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights.